I've had a bottle of wine already

[MidnightCalm]

Ive been drinking alcohol to a massive degree to calm my anxiety lately, it's my only medication that works for me. That sounds terrible but it's true :( it gets rid of the anxiety in about 15 minutes but it doesn't take long for the hangover to kick in. I've been drinking to the extreme lately. It's scaring me. Last night I had a panic attack which seems to be happening multiple times a day lately and as a result I drank 3 bottles of wine. I just woke up hungover and very anzxious and polished off a bottle in less than 20 minutes. I've been drinking this much DAILY. For a few weeks. I feel terrible. I can't avoid either the anxiety or he hangover unless I have a drink. It's scaring me. Right now I just want to get wasted there are things I have to do and I can't physically move from anxiety. My legs are cramped and I am tripping and I can't focus. Sometimes I picture my future as me just under some blankets panicking with a bottle of wine in my hand. I'm terribly worried :(

[Sam123]

Alcohol doesn't get rid of your anxiety, but you already know that. It simply masks it for a period of time and then it will return with a vengeance. I'm sorry to hear you're in a bad place, i can't offer a fix to your problems only you can do this and it takes strength and a want to get better.
I don't have to preach to you the effects of excessive alcohol intake on the body i'm sure you're away the damage it can do. I don't drink, only on special occasions i will have a couple, but when i have drank in the past the next day was mainly filled with me feeling very down.

I don't know your situation either but if you have someone around you who you can confide in you should do so, you don't want to go down this road and you don't have to. You DO have control.

You need to address the drinking issue right away, i'm sorry if this comes across blunt and unsympathetic, it's most definitely not. Your post reminded me of a person very close to me, was close to me.

I hope you will find the strength from within to stop the drinking right away, you're damaging yourself and adding fuel to your anxiety. I hope someone on here who has been through similar can offer more advice

:weep:

[Crystalhiggs]

Oh gosh you need to nip this in the bud now. Please, please get some professional help you can stop this now, but only you can do it. The longer it goes on the harder it will be to break free from this habit. Please consider ringing a helpline, the Samaritans will put you on track with the best people to talk to. Or go to see your gp, go to a&e anything but this is a dangerous downward spiral. I'm so sorry for you, hope I'm not coming across as bossy, but the very fact you've posted this means you know you need help. Take care and drink lots of water!!!

[MidnightCalm]

I know I should stop, I know it's bad. I've always used drinking to give me confidence but this kind of extreme is just terrible/ I feel like right now the only reason I'm functioning is because I've had a drink and the drinking has cause me massive anxiety about the effects it's having on my body. It's a vicious cycle. I don't crave a drink, I do crave a way ou of the anxiety though and honestly it is the only thing I've found to help. Ice done cbt, meditation, breathing techniques. The only comfort I have is the thought when I'm panicking of "you'll be drunk soon and the anxiety will be gone" before I know it I've drank wine like its water.its costing me a lot. I am very scared which is obviously perpetuating my anxiety. I'm sleeping badly but I sleep worse when I just stop the alcohol atm. I just feel immense pressure daily. I really feel I need time alone but my partner is always here. And yet being along would petrify me. Everything has a good and bad side :(

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think you need to speak to your GP about how to move forward from here. They need to understand how this has advanced and determine what other care is available to you before this turns to alcoholism as well.

If you have tried medication and got nowhere with it, there may be other solutions that a GP cannot prescribe but they can get you to someone who can.

This is one of the horrible things about anxiety, it gets reinforced when we use safety behaviours and its hard to escape. You can do it, but you really need some professional support to get there.

CBT isn't all that is available, its just the NHS like to push it that way. There are teams beyond those that conduct CBT and maybe there is a more suitable solution out there for you.

[AnxietyDJ]

I think many of us can probably speak from experience when it comes to using alcohol to feel better at one time or another. When my anxiety was very bad 18 months or so ago, I was drinking to excess, which seemed to help, but in reality only created more problems than it solved.

The most positive part I see with you, is that you clearly realise that it isn't going to help you in the long term and by posting here shows you obviously want to stop and move forwards with your life. If I could rewind time and remove all the alcohol from the past 10 years or so, I honestly think I would have avoided so much pain and struggling.... I really hope you can stop now so you don't have to go through that too.

As others already said, try speaking with your GP about how you're feeling and how you are coping - medication doesn't have to be the only option for you... There are many ways of tackling the issues.

Best of luck... We're always here if you need us :)

[nicnac1987]

Last time I was overcome with severe anxiety for a long period of time I also used to drink. It helped me sleep and just feel calmer. In truth it actually made it worse. I woke up feeling more anxious as I was dehydrated and it is a depressant so will lower your mood even more. I now don't drink at all or smoke. Which actually is making it better this time round plus I haven't got a feeling of regret to contend with like I used to when drunk out of my skull.
I think you should go and see your gp and find out what other options there are for you. Maybe different medication or something. Please seek help as it is a slippery slope down hill.

[Richard1960]

Hi I am not going to bang on but i had a drink problem i was getting through a fair bit and had 2 hospital admissions for a de- tox,it is a slippery slope believe me as you will need to drink more and more to get the same effects.

You need to see your GP for local services we in my town have an organisation known as ADAS (Alchol Drugs Advisory Service) that offers free counselling you might have such an organisation where you are,your GP might be able to refer you on.

Also there is an anti alcohol drug called acamprosate i was on it usually only prescribed by a substance misuse professional such as the local community team for mental health services.

I am now alcohol free as it is the best way for me,at the time of treatment you usually have to hit rock bottom before you can come back up to have the strength to kick it,however you will need to be reffered on by your GP to get the help you need.

And you will need to have a cast iron stubborn persistance to kick it completely but if you want to you can.

All the best Richard.:)